Appropriations and Tax Advocacy before U.S. Congress

Ann Warner LLC is an expert in navigating the appropriations process, both in advocating overall funding levels for programs that benefit her clients and helping to obtain funding and support for specific projects. Warner has worked to maximize Federal investment in transportation and infrastructure by advocating full funding of transportation and infrastructure programs and initiatives, including the Airport Improvement Program, Federal-Aid Highway (Mass Transit\New Start) Program, Army Corps of Engineers Civil Programs, and Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works relief funds.

New Start ProgramWarner played a key role in helping to obtain funding for the following projects contained in laws appropriating funds for the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT):

• Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, Virginia ($110 million over a four-year period). • Long Island Rail Road East Side Access, New York ($210,700,000 over

a four-year period). • Silicon Valley Rapid Transit Corridor Project, Santa Clara County,

California. ($8.5 million over a two-year period). Other appropriations and tax successes included assisting in:

Airport Funding and Financing• Obtained report language in the Senate Appropriations Committee-

passed FY 2007 US DOT/Treasury/Housing and Urban Development Appropriations (H.R. 5576, S. Rpt. 109-293) encouraging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to give priority consideration to the application by the Panama City-Bay County International Airport Authority and Industrial District to construct a new airport.

• Secured the first-ever Federal appropriation, $5 million, for applied airfield concrete pavement research via a unique cooperative agreement between the FAA and the concrete pavement industry in the FY 2000 US DOT Appropriations Act (P.L. 106-340). Subsequently helped obtained $5 million in funds in the FY 2001 US DOT Appropriations Acts (P.L. 107-87).

• Obtained a 70% increase in Airport Improvement (AIP) Program funding in the FY 1998 US DOT Appropriations Act (P.L.105-66).

• Secured passage of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund Tax Reinstatement Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-2), which provided the FAA with the authority to collect aviation excise taxes funding the AIP.

Panama City Airport Photo credit: Aero Photo

ANN WARNER LLCaviation | highways | rail | water

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Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) Funding• Advocated for Sandy disaster relief/emergency monies helping to result

in $1.7 billion in FY 2012 Disaster Relief Appropriation Act (P.L. 112-77). • Advocated for highest possible annual appropriations levels for ACE

Civil Works programs during FY 2009-FY 2013.

Post-Katrina Gulf Coast Restoration• Actively supported the RESTORE Act, which was incorporated into

the final FY 2013 Continuing Appropriations Act (P.L. 112-75) ensuring monies derived from the Clean Water Act fines following the BP (British Petroleum) oil spill go straight to the affected State, regions, and municipalities (rather than going to the Federal government and not subjected to the annual appropriation/obligation process).

Public Private Partnerships• Realized language in the FY 2004 US DOT/Treasury Appropriations

(H.R. 2989, H. Rpt. 108-43) directing US DOT to apply available funds to projects employing public private partnerships and to work with state and local entities.

State Departments of Transportation Funding• Secured record-level appropriation levels for the Missouri & Illinois

departments of transportation in the FY 2001 US DOT Appropriations Act (P.L. 106-346).

Surface Transportation Board (STB) Appropriations • Securing a record-level increase (from $32 million in FY 2016 to $37

million in FY 2017) for the STB in the pending FY 2017 Transportation and Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) appropriation measures in H.R. 2577 (S. Rpt. 114-243) and House Appropriations Committee-passed draft THUD legislation. Both measures stipulate more than $2 million in direct spending for critically needed IT system upgrades and enhancements.

Transit Commuter Benefits • Successfully advocated for a significant tax benefit provision for public

transit users setting the parking tax benefit and transit tax benefit at parity and on a permanent basis. This provision in the Protecting Americans From Tax Hikes (PATH) Act (P.L. 114-113) is a major change from previous law where the differing 2015 benefit levels were $130 per month/for transit users and $250 per month/parking users. The PATH Act made the tax benefit permanent and increased the 2016 transit and parking benefit to $250 per/month.

aviation | highways | rail | water

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